


rio

by MajesticAnna



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, M/M, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Relationship, i read 398 and it's hinata day so here we are, manga has ruined me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajesticAnna/pseuds/MajesticAnna
Summary: Failure did not have to mean ‘the end’, and Hinata didn’t have to face it alone, either.+++A glimpse into Hinata's time in Rio.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 11
Kudos: 73





	rio

**Author's Note:**

> 2 fics in 2 days for 2 fandoms? Where did this power come from,,,
> 
> Happy Birthday to my favorite volleyball player,,,, his growth,, astounds me

The summer sun bleeds into Hinata’s skin, humid air coating his hair in sticky sweat.

In Brazil, the heat does not like Hinata. His thick curls became too draining when basking in the glaring sun, so he cut it short only a month into the season. Even now, as he pedals through crowded streets between deliveries, Hinata swears the sun is fighting against him, trying to drain him of every last drop of energy. Arcing across the hilly terrain of Rio, Hinata gulps down the savior that flowed from his water bottle, sweat clinging to his back but refusing to cool his body.

Only fifteen minutes left in his evening shift. Then he can pedal back home to his tiny apartment, collapse into nothing for a few hours, and wake up in time for a late night beach practice.

His life could be exhausting. Biking for hours through Rio in a blazing flame, struggling to string time together from training and delivering and studying—to training some more—Hinata had to squeeze in rest between shifts, balancing his life on knees that threatened to tear apart.

But playing on the coarse sand sliding through his toes, working his core through his favorite sport, his lifeblood, Hinata had so much in his life to enjoy. Bad days meant learning another nugget of knowledge that could take his game one step forward.

Failure did not have to mean ‘the end’, and Hinata didn’t have to face it alone, either. His early months he struggled to make sense of his decisions, but now, he’s found a better balance to his life. His cheer squad back at home helps him make it all work. With Yachi’s routine care packages, group FaceTimes featuring old Karasuno members, Ukai’s texts with recommended volleyball readings, and letters signed by Natsu in soft scripts, he knows there are other people waiting for his return, when he finally leaves the sand behind.

Hinata opens his phone, scrolling through his messages to see if Kageyama is awake. He hasn’t responded, but judging by the numbers blinking from his screen, his friend should be up soon.

The nice thing about time differences is that Hinata stays up late, and Kageyama rises early. They can often spend small moments catching up with one another before they head to their practices.

Hinata delivers his last order of the evening to a frequent customer, a stern old woman who always talks to Hinata and helps him practice his Portuguese. Her temperament reminds Hinata of lessons with Tsukishima, as the woman constantly lectures him on his pronunciation and grammar.

At least Tsukishima isn’t here to call him an ‘inane airhead’’, or whatever insult he had in his vocabulary for the day. The old woman still glares at him when he makes a mistake, which makes Hinata nostalgic for long, dull hours in a stuffy volleyball club room.

The lady paid through the app, so she hands a small clementine to Hinata that she claims she just had lying around, and totally not for Hinata’s ride home. Hinata laughs and accepts it graciously, far too used to tsunderes to tease out the obvious lie.

He pedals his way home, underneath the soft, blurred hues of an evening sun.

As Hinata sails through the winding streets, his mind empties of his future. Letting go of stressing about his progress, his tournaments, his rent; he allows his brain wander to the pathways that often lead east.

He thinks of a playful, biting wind, one that winds through Yachi’s hair and casts her long strands in a tangled nest around her face. Of Pouty-yama, who spends 8 minutes debating whether it was too cold to buy milk from the drink machine. Of Yamaguchi, who laughs at Tsukishima’s snarky comment that he throws at Kageyama, to taunt the setter into a fight, and of Hinata, himself, bobbing around Kageyama’s swipe when he joins in on the teasing.

A cool winter day reflects in fragmented pieces, each placed carefully in his memory bank. He can’t quite place the year, but he knows the warmth, far different than that of a blazing Rio sun.

Hinata ends up pulling onto his street, the ride to his apartment spent in a blissful trance. He locks up his bike, and greets Pedro on the way to his room.

A quick shower chases the grime on his skin down into the drain. Hinata changes into comfy napping clothes, to rest in before the sun sinks further in the sky.

His phone rings on the bed stand. He doesn’t look at the screen as he picks it up.

“Hey, Bakageyama.”

“Boke,” is hummed through the line. Kageyama’s voice comes through full and deep, scratching around the edges.

“Just waking up, ‘Yama ‘Yama?” Hinata says. “I didn’t know you were so lazy.”

“Only an hour past my usual time.” Apparently, Kageyama decided not to rise to the bait so early in the day. “Sleep is important to repairing your body.”

“Yep,” Hinata smirks. “I was just about to nap.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No, but—”

“You need the nourishment, Hinata.” Kageyama pulls on his favorite ‘I know better than you’ voice. “After biking and carrying food around for hours—”

“Shh, Kageyama-kun.” Hinata rolls his eyes. Kageyama could be so condescending sometimes, even when he denies it. Nonetheless, Hinata appreciates the sentiment from one of his favorite people. “I meant to pick up groceries on the way home, but I forgot. I’ll just make a quick meal or eat my leftovers from last night.”

“Good,” Kageyama says. Hinata can almost see the approving nod from his voice alone. “You’ve been using the nail kit I gave you? Drinking electrolytes to replenish? It’s summer there, so I’m sure it’s hot—”

“Kageyamaaaaaa.” Hinata can’t keep the whine out of his voice. He thought he had outgrown this habit, but Kageyama’s needling brings out a different side of him. “I’m doing fine. Great, actually.”

“Oh… Good.”

Hinata sighs, pinching his brow. How difficult people with stunted emotional IQs could be. “And I miss you, too, dumbass. You could just say that, like a normal person.”

He only hears a click of a tongue, which means Hinata guessed correctly.

Though Kageyama can’t see him, Hinata sends a reassuring grin. “I appreciate the care, but I’ve learned, Kageyama. I know my body better than anyone else.”

“Of course, Hinata.” A long, slow breath echoes through the line. There’s a pause, before Kageyama says: “I’m so proud of you.”

“Ahhhhhh!” Hinata covers his blushing face, heat searing his cheeks. “That’s so embarrassing, why would you say that!”

“Idiot! I took your advice and now you don’t like what I have to say!” Hinata can picture the exact shade of red that coats Kageyama’s ears. 

“Excuse me for forgetting how blunt you can be!”  
  
Hinata takes a few seconds to calm his rapid heart, using his hands to card through his hair. Tendrils of warmth bloom in his stomach, reaching out through his ribs and into his heart. They comfort him, reminding him of meat buns on a late night, exhausted but happy from another day of practice.

He still has a home to return to. Even though he’s not there now.

“I have to go, Kageyama.”

“Ok.” Hinata can hear the grumbling pout in his voice. It makes him laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll call again, later.” Hinata always keeps his promises. Like one where they’ll meet again on a court washed in stadium lights, in front of a buzzing crowd, to have their final rematch.

“Ok,” Kageyama says, again. And because he can’t stop himself: “See you, dumbass.”

“Bye, ‘Yama.”

He shuts off his phone. A wobbly grin ticks his mouth upward, and the warmth travels through him. Not overwhelming, like Rio, but reminding him why he flew across the globe in the first place.

Hinata does eat a full meal that evening. And though he’s in a foreign land, when he rests his head down to sleep, he feels love and comfort from miles away pouring through him, replenishing his soul, and encouraging him to go further.

After all, what’s one more step up the ladder?

**Author's Note:**

> Back to actually posting my hq works? You betcha.
> 
> I love Hinata Shouyou SO MUCH, I need to actually finish and publish all my fics for him. But you know, Furudate really makes canon so fulfilling that I sit inside my little world and astral project into how amazing the series is.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> twitter: [@majesticdeku](https://twitter.com/majesticdeku)  
> tumblr: [majesticanna](https://majesticanna.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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